Proud parent

Last week I spent a lovely day with my Dad. He came over and we went for a nice, long walk and just talked. Then when the boys were up from their naps, we all went out to dinner together. It was a great day, but the highlight came when my Dad was talking about Nick. 

Nick is graduating from Teachers College of Columbia University next week with his Master's degree. He started the program when I was newly pregnant with Jack and was able to balance teaching full-time with bringing home 2 babes and getting excellent grades - not to mention his being an outstanding, supportive husband and an amazing Dad!!

When Nick got up to use the bathroom, my Dad told me how proud he was of Nick and how much respect he has for all he's been doing. But then when Nick came back to the table, my Dad told him directly. It made my heart warm!

I am extraordinarily proud of Nick and his massive accomplishments! He has managed to take care of everything, often at the expense of his own sleep/rest/sanity. He has never once told me that he didn't have time to listen or support me, feed a baby or change a diaper... He always finds a way to make it work.

I cannot even express the pride I have in knowing that my boys get to watch their Daddy graduate from Columbia University! What an awesome role model!

But I could also burst with pride for my Dad's willingness to boast about his son-in-law. It seems difficult for men to speak so honestly about pride and respect, so I was so glad that my Dad was willing to tell Nick the things that he often tells me about him.

Babe, I am SO incredibly proud of you.

I am grateful for both Nick and my extraordinary Dad.

FaceTime.

Tonight we "chatted" with my Dad via FaceTime on the iPhone. By we, I mean Jack. He's not so interested in sharing these days... but that's another topic for another day.

Jack hijacked my phone and decided he wanted to call Papa. To be clear, he doesn't actually know how to place calls, yet! I did have to password protect my phone though, because he learned how to open it! It's amazing how savvy he is with technology already, just from watching us! 

Anyway, instead of just calling my Dad, we decided to FaceTime. It was perfect! I love getting to see my Dad's reaction to J's crazy, silly antics. And I love to see Jack's reaction to my Dad and his dogs. He simply had to see the "doggies" :) It was absolutely the highlight of my day.

Technology is really amazing and I am so grateful that we have access to it! 

My dad.

My Dad - also known as Papa - is awesome.

Last weekend we went to my Dad's for a visit. We had a great time! My Dad was really happy to see us and we were all glad to see him - especially Jack who was thrilled to see Papa and his doggies! :) Saturday morning we were at breakfast and my Dad suggested that we go to the aquarium. J absolutely loved the idea and so did we. Off we went. We had such a good time! We visited the NY Aquarium a few weeks ago, but I think that this one was even better! 

They had awesome exhibits of exotic fish as well as local fish. They had touch & feel exhibits with sting rays and star fish. And they had an awesome shark tank! I think we sat watching the sharks for 45 minutes. It was so cool! 

Is it just me, or are aquariums really neat?!

Naturally, I forgot my camera. So you'll have to excuse my crummy iPhone pics!

 

 Papa is so great with my boys. It makes me endlessly happy to see them play together and laugh. Jack is boisterous with lots of energy. He's typically an eager and sweet kid, but he has his moments. I am occasionally weary that people won't be up to the task of keeping up with him. He's a handful! But my Dad not only kept up with him all day, he really enjoyed him! 

J would only hold Papa's hand - neither Mom nor Dad mattered. Papa carried him, laughed with him and showed him all of the exhibits. And when J was nervous of the shark tank, Papa taught him how to scare the sharks away by "Rawr-ing" at them. It was awesome. The really amazing thing is how incredible he is with my little one as well. He loves to feed him and hold him. He talks to him and tells him stories. Papa is amazing at getting my boys to sleep and never seems to mind that they end up cuddled up on his chest for long stretches of cozy sleep. He is wonderful with both of my boys. 

I am so grateful for him and so glad that I get to watch them have fun together. 

I know that we both had moments this weekend when we missed her. But it never ruined the mood. Rather, we seemed to embrace the company we had and enjoy it as best we could.

 

My boys adore my Dad. 

 So do I.

He is brave, strong, loving and so much fun.

Thanks for a great weekend, Dad!